Reiff has proven he can't do the job, period. Maybe down the road, in 2-3 years he can "get better" and "take over" should the need arise, but right now Reiff is NOT a starting caliber NFL LT. That's just a fact. You can argue that the Rams gave some kid too much time to prove he's a bust, or you can even argue that another crappy NFL team gave some kid time at LT and EVENTUALLY worked out. That said, we don't have that luxury. We're not the Rams, that have Steven Jackson, and we don't want to BE the Rams, who have sucked for the last decade.

You can say "what if" all you want. You can say what if Fisher is the next dud, and what if Millner is the next stud, but the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Millner looks much more average at CB when you compare his skills with Fisher at LT.

The bottom line is, this team NEEDS, absolutely NEEDS a starting caliber LT. Our entire team is predicated on passing the ball 40+times per game. We can't do that without an LT, and if you think our D looks bad now, if it were filled with pro-bowlers it would STILL look bad if the offense goes 3 & out repeatedly.

January 28th, 2013, 5:29 pm

jrd66

Mr. Irrelevant

Joined: February 10th, 2005, 6:52 pmPosts: 971Location: Linden, MI

Re: Senior Bowl.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Reiff has proven he can't do the job, period. Maybe down the road, in 2-3 years he can "get better" and "take over" should the need arise, but right now Reiff is NOT a starting caliber NFL LT. That's just a fact. You can argue that the Rams gave some kid too much time to prove he's a bust, or you can even argue that another crappy NFL team gave some kid time at LT and EVENTUALLY worked out. That said, we don't have that luxury. We're not the Rams, that have Steven Jackson, and we don't want to BE the Rams, who have sucked for the last decade.

You can say "what if" all you want. You can say what if Fisher is the next dud, and what if Millner is the next stud, but the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Millner looks much more average at CB when you compare his skills with Fisher at LT.

The bottom line is, this team NEEDS, absolutely NEEDS a starting caliber LT. Our entire team is predicated on passing the ball 40+times per game. We can't do that without an LT, and if you think our D looks bad now, if it were filled with pro-bowlers it would STILL look bad if the offense goes 3 & out repeatedly.

Very true on many levels. The Lions have a big problem in that they need a lot of things and the positions they had mild stability at are losing it due to age. The Lions need at least 1 OT, a S, a CB a DE and so on. Mayhew goofed in not seeing or acting upon the scenario that he could have done something about last season. This whole fetish with drafting WR high and trading up to pick RBs has been killing this team for a decade and continues today. There are too many needs to fill in this draft with the picks they have. It might be smart to trade back to acquire picks, but then you back out of top prospects that you will see at #5.

_________________OK. Schwartz is fired, the fans are happy, now what?

January 28th, 2013, 5:53 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Senior Bowl.

jrd66 wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Reiff has proven he can't do the job, period. Maybe down the road, in 2-3 years he can "get better" and "take over" should the need arise, but right now Reiff is NOT a starting caliber NFL LT. That's just a fact. You can argue that the Rams gave some kid too much time to prove he's a bust, or you can even argue that another crappy NFL team gave some kid time at LT and EVENTUALLY worked out. That said, we don't have that luxury. We're not the Rams, that have Steven Jackson, and we don't want to BE the Rams, who have sucked for the last decade.

You can say "what if" all you want. You can say what if Fisher is the next dud, and what if Millner is the next stud, but the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Millner looks much more average at CB when you compare his skills with Fisher at LT.

The bottom line is, this team NEEDS, absolutely NEEDS a starting caliber LT. Our entire team is predicated on passing the ball 40+times per game. We can't do that without an LT, and if you think our D looks bad now, if it were filled with pro-bowlers it would STILL look bad if the offense goes 3 & out repeatedly.

Very true on many levels. The Lions have a big problem in that they need a lot of things and the positions they had mild stability at are losing it due to age. The Lions need at least 1 OT, a S, a CB a DE and so on. Mayhew goofed in not seeing or acting upon the scenario that he could have done something about last season. This whole fetish with drafting WR high and trading up to pick RBs has been killing this team for a decade and continues today. There are too many needs to fill in this draft with the picks they have. It might be smart to trade back to acquire picks, but then you back out of top prospects that you will see at #5.

IMO the best thing we can do is pick up some mid-grade FAs (Massoqui and Porter, perhaps?) to fill our #2 WR and CB position (and re-sign Houston). That would limit our needs to LT, DE, and FS for this year, IMO (assuming we can bring back our LBs)... And it allows us the luxury of trading back up into the third (I think we'll have two 4ths) to grab a quality OG, OC, LB, or FS. At least that allows us to field a young, relatively cost-effective, complete team. We haven't fielded a complete team in over a decade.

January 28th, 2013, 6:03 pm

inheritedlionsfan

League MVP

Joined: January 13th, 2006, 4:18 amPosts: 3683Location: Maryland

Re: Senior Bowl.

How would we have two fourths? I may have missed it since I'm exhausted lol did you discuss a trade down? As of now we don't have a fourth since we traded it to the Vikings last year. Eric Wright may net us a comp. pick but don't forget we did sign a few lower tier CBs in free agency in Jacob Lacey and Drayton Florence. Comp. picks include number of players gained vs. number lost, contract value and amount/level of play so it's hard to say what we'll get.

January 29th, 2013, 4:01 am

njroar

Team MVP

Joined: September 25th, 2007, 3:20 amPosts: 3273

Re: Senior Bowl.

inheritedlionsfan wrote:

How would we have two fourths? I may have missed it since I'm exhausted lol did you discuss a trade down? As of now we don't have a fourth since we traded it to the Vikings last year. Eric Wright may net us a comp. pick but don't forget we did sign a few lower tier CBs in free agency in Jacob Lacey and Drayton Florence. Comp. picks include number of players gained vs. number lost, contract value and amount/level of play so it's hard to say what we'll get.

Right now we're estimated to get a 4th and 7th for Wright and Stanton. And you're right, we traded the 4th, so that will give us 1. Prior to the comp picks, we have 6 total. Those 2 would bring us back to 8.

January 29th, 2013, 11:06 am

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Senior Bowl.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Reiff has proven he can't do the job, period. Maybe down the road, in 2-3 years he can "get better" and "take over" should the need arise, but right now Reiff is NOT a starting caliber NFL LT. That's just a fact. You can argue that the Rams gave some kid too much time to prove he's a bust, or you can even argue that another crappy NFL team gave some kid time at LT and EVENTUALLY worked out. That said, we don't have that luxury. We're not the Rams, that have Steven Jackson, and we don't want to BE the Rams, who have sucked for the last decade.

You can say "what if" all you want. You can say what if Fisher is the next dud, and what if Millner is the next stud, but the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Millner looks much more average at CB when you compare his skills with Fisher at LT.

The bottom line is, this team NEEDS, absolutely NEEDS a starting caliber LT. Our entire team is predicated on passing the ball 40+times per game. We can't do that without an LT, and if you think our D looks bad now, if it were filled with pro-bowlers it would STILL look bad if the offense goes 3 & out repeatedly.

IIRC he started 1 game and did well against one of the top Ds in the league; not too mention he's done well in everything else that's been asked of him. What exactly has he done to show he can't be a solid LT in the NFL?

_________________

Quote:

Detroit vs. EverybodyClowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

January 29th, 2013, 3:49 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Senior Bowl.

TheRealWags wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Reiff has proven he can't do the job, period. Maybe down the road, in 2-3 years he can "get better" and "take over" should the need arise, but right now Reiff is NOT a starting caliber NFL LT. That's just a fact. You can argue that the Rams gave some kid too much time to prove he's a bust, or you can even argue that another crappy NFL team gave some kid time at LT and EVENTUALLY worked out. That said, we don't have that luxury. We're not the Rams, that have Steven Jackson, and we don't want to BE the Rams, who have sucked for the last decade.

You can say "what if" all you want. You can say what if Fisher is the next dud, and what if Millner is the next stud, but the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Millner looks much more average at CB when you compare his skills with Fisher at LT.

The bottom line is, this team NEEDS, absolutely NEEDS a starting caliber LT. Our entire team is predicated on passing the ball 40+times per game. We can't do that without an LT, and if you think our D looks bad now, if it were filled with pro-bowlers it would STILL look bad if the offense goes 3 & out repeatedly.

IIRC he started 1 game and did well against one of the top Ds in the league; not too mention he's done well in everything else that's been asked of him. What exactly has he done to show he can't be a solid LT in the NFL?

He didn't "play well" in the one game he started at LT, he played horrible. He couldn't crack the lineup with an aging and injured Jeff Backus, he couldn't beat False-Start-Foster's twin brother out at RT, and he couldn't take an OG job from Peterman, and you think he can play LT?

I think you listen to the announcers more than you watch the games.

January 29th, 2013, 4:04 pm

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2875

Re: Senior Bowl.

TheRealWags wrote:

What exactly has he done to show he can't be a solid LT in the NFL?

Didn't make his way onto WJB's draft wish list last year.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

January 29th, 2013, 4:07 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Senior Bowl.

thelomasbrowns wrote:

TheRealWags wrote:

What exactly has he done to show he can't be a solid LT in the NFL?

Didn't make his way onto WJB's draft wish list last year.

Because I care more about my pre-draft reads than the state of the team? You're being obnoxious, and you know that's not true. I love being proven wrong about talent that I didn't think would pan out, but this team hasn't done that since James Hall.

January 29th, 2013, 4:47 pm

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Senior Bowl.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

TheRealWags wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Reiff has proven he can't do the job, period. Maybe down the road, in 2-3 years he can "get better" and "take over" should the need arise, but right now Reiff is NOT a starting caliber NFL LT. That's just a fact. You can argue that the Rams gave some kid too much time to prove he's a bust, or you can even argue that another crappy NFL team gave some kid time at LT and EVENTUALLY worked out. That said, we don't have that luxury. We're not the Rams, that have Steven Jackson, and we don't want to BE the Rams, who have sucked for the last decade.

You can say "what if" all you want. You can say what if Fisher is the next dud, and what if Millner is the next stud, but the fact of the matter is, no one knows. Millner looks much more average at CB when you compare his skills with Fisher at LT.

The bottom line is, this team NEEDS, absolutely NEEDS a starting caliber LT. Our entire team is predicated on passing the ball 40+times per game. We can't do that without an LT, and if you think our D looks bad now, if it were filled with pro-bowlers it would STILL look bad if the offense goes 3 & out repeatedly.

IIRC he started 1 game and did well against one of the top Ds in the league; not too mention he's done well in everything else that's been asked of him. What exactly has he done to show he can't be a solid LT in the NFL?

He didn't "play well" in the one game he started at LT, he played horrible. He couldn't crack the lineup with an aging and injured Jeff Backus, he couldn't beat False-Start-Foster's twin brother out at RT, and he couldn't take an OG job from Peterman, and you think he can play LT?

I think you listen to the announcers more than you watch the games.

So, no specifics, just more blather and self-promotion, eh? Typical. As for not beating out Backus or anyone else, who said he was in competition? From what I recall, the coaches had no plans on him starting at all this season. None. Therefore why is it a surprise that he didn't start, other than injury? Oh, any how many starts has Backus missed in his career? Yeah, that 1. So it doesn't surprise me that he started the following and subsequent games.

Detroit Lions rookie Riley Reiff got quite a workout in his first start at left tackle. In the overtime loss to the Houston Texans, the Lions took a whopping 89 offensive snaps, not including plays erased by penalties.

Reiff's assignments were no walk in the park either. For the majority of the game he matched up one-on-one with rush linebacker Connor Barwin (6-foot-4, 268 pounds), but also had to deal with rotational edge rusher Whitney Mercilus, defensive tackle Antonio Smith, and the ever-dominant J.J. Watt.

The Lions only provided a chipping tight end or running back for Reiff on four of the Texans' 68 pass-rush situations.

For the most part, considering the tremendous amount of plays (68) Reiff was in pass protection, he did a good job staying in front of his man. Where he struggled was with the strength of Barwin, who regularly pushed the rookie back toward Matthew Stafford, collapsing the quarterback's pocket and forcing quick decisions and throws.

Reiff's technique appeared to get stronger later in the game as he regularly drove Barwin beyond Stafford, instead of trying to stand him up.

Reiff did allow a handful of pressures, including two on third downs.

In the first quarter, the Texans sent an overload blitz to Reiff's side, bringing three rushers off that edge. The offensive tackle didn't make the necessary adjustment quickly enough, leaving two unblocked men for running back Kevin Smith. Stafford was flushed from the pocket and forced to throw the ball it away.

In the fourth quarter, with the Lions on the edge of field-goal range and up seven points, Reiff was beat by Barwin, who faked an inside move before accelerating to the outside. The pressure forced Stafford to step into the pocket into the waiting arms of J.J. Watt. The sack knocked Detroit out of field-goal range and the Texans were able to score the game-tying touchdown on the ensuing drive.

Reiff also had mixed success run blocking.

In the first quarter, Watt twice beat the rookie in one-on-one situations to disrupt the play in the backfield, resulting in a pair of short gains.

In the third quarter, the Lions wanted to open a hole by doubling Antonio Smith at the snap, then have Reiff peel off and block the outside linebacker in the second level. The play was a disaster as the double was ineffective and Smith dove into the backfield disrupting Mikel Leshoure's momentum. To make matters worse, Reiff missed his second level block, allowing the linebacker to come through untouched to finish the play off for a one-yard loss.

On the other side of the coin, Reiff also made some nice blocks for the ground game. At the end of the first quarter, he, along with guard Rob Sims, got excellent push on a double-team to open a big running lane. Reiff then peeled off to take out safety Quin Glover for an 11-yard gain for Leshoure.

Reiff also opened up a huge lane for Kevin Smith in the third quarter by standing up Barwin on the edge. The play went for just six yards since Sims wasn't able to get to the second level and put a body on the outside linebacker.

Now, granted it, I suppose it depends on how you define 'well' but I would say, per this write-up, that he wasn't 'horrible'. Did he have bad plays? Yes, name me 1 rookie that hasn't, especially in their first start. Did he improve as the game went on? Yes, which is what I want to see in any player.

_________________

Quote:

Detroit vs. EverybodyClowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

January 30th, 2013, 9:44 am

wjb21ndtown

Re: Senior Bowl.

I would say "inconsistent" play out of your LT is "horrible." The model of good LT in play in the NFL is consistency.

Further, the article even states that he had "mixed success" at run blocking, which is what most on here claim he's so "great at."

Though this was Reiff's first start, it wasn't his first game, or debut to an NFL field. By the time he took the field to replace Backus he had 16 weeks of practice, and had played in multiple games, none of which had he ever "looked good." I don't remember if it was called or not, but he was blatantly holding in the endzone in the preseason, he's committed several holding penalties, and looked horrible on the field, even blocking as a 6th man on the OL at TE.

He hasn't looked good in any role the Lions have given him, flat out.

January 30th, 2013, 1:24 pm

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Senior Bowl.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

I would say "inconsistent" play out of your LT is "horrible." The model of good LT in play in the NFL is consistency.

Yup, and he has one of the most consistent LTs the past 10+ years to learn from.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Further, the article even states that he had "mixed success" at run blocking, which is what most on here claim he's so "great at."

Though this was Reiff's first start, it wasn't his first game, or debut to an NFL field. By the time he took the field to replace Backus he had 16 weeks of practice, and had played in multiple games, none of which had he ever "looked good." I don't remember if it was called or not, but he was blatantly holding in the endzone in the preseason, he's committed several holding penalties, and looked horrible on the field, even blocking as a 6th man on the OL at TE.

How many snaps, prior to his start, did he play at LT? Did he improve between his first snap and his most recent? Can you agree that playing 6th OLineman is different than playing LT?

wjb21ndtown wrote:

He hasn't looked good in any role the Lions have given him, flat out.

Seems as though you say that about pretty much every player on the Lions, and, for the record, I disagree; he has done well as the 6th OLineman helping to open some holes. And no, I'm not saying he's the end all be all to fixing the OLine.

Bottom line, IMO, is that you are trying your damnedest to bitch about any player anyone else on this forum may say something positive about. When was the last time you had something positive to say about anyone related to the Lions? I'm having difficulty remembering..perhaps I missed it in all your other rant / bitch / I'm a better talent evaluator than everyone else posts.

_________________

Quote:

Detroit vs. EverybodyClowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

January 31st, 2013, 1:20 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Senior Bowl.

TheRealWags wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

I would say "inconsistent" play out of your LT is "horrible." The model of good LT in play in the NFL is consistency.

Yup, and he has one of the most consistent LTs the past 10+ years to learn from.

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Further, the article even states that he had "mixed success" at run blocking, which is what most on here claim he's so "great at."

Though this was Reiff's first start, it wasn't his first game, or debut to an NFL field. By the time he took the field to replace Backus he had 16 weeks of practice, and had played in multiple games, none of which had he ever "looked good." I don't remember if it was called or not, but he was blatantly holding in the endzone in the preseason, he's committed several holding penalties, and looked horrible on the field, even blocking as a 6th man on the OL at TE.

How many snaps, prior to his start, did he play at LT? Did he improve between his first snap and his most recent? Can you agree that playing 6th OLineman is different than playing LT?

wjb21ndtown wrote:

He hasn't looked good in any role the Lions have given him, flat out.

Seems as though you say that about pretty much every player on the Lions, and, for the record, I disagree; he has done well as the 6th OLineman helping to open some holes. And no, I'm not saying he's the end all be all to fixing the OLine.

Bottom line, IMO, is that you are trying your damnedest to bitch about any player anyone else on this forum may say something positive about. When was the last time you had something positive to say about anyone related to the Lions? I'm having difficulty remembering..perhaps I missed it in all your other rant / bitch / I'm a better talent evaluator than everyone else posts.

Many players have great mentors and amount to nothing. He had Backus to "learn from" for four months before he took the reigns.

Actually, I was first chair on my first trial. I'm a solo-practitioner. I was an intern at 36th district for 3 months, tried cases 1st chair with supervision, and have been on my own ever since. That's not bragging, it's just a fact, and since you chose to attack my personal life opposed to staying on topic and talking about Reiff, I'll defend it.

FWIW, I didn't see much progress from Reiff throughout the season. I don't think his play as the 6th OLman was much better at the end of the year than it was at the beginning of the year. He seems to make poor reads, and doesn't block as well in space as some NFL TEs. At times I thought he's looked utterly ridiculous out there, and I'm not talking about his first month of play. I do agree that playing a 6th OLman is differnt than playing OT, but I think it's much, much easier to do. He's supposed to be able to take on a DL man at the line AND get to the 2nd level and take on a guy in space. Reiff playing as a 6th man allows him to by-pass the first assignment and concentrate on the second, and he can't even do that!

If you think it's prudent to rely on a guy that struggled all year in his rookie year, and hand him the reigns to the 2nd most important position on the team, that's fine. You're entitled to your opinion. Personally, I think it's a ridiculous idea, and FWIW, I'm not taking this as an opportunity to bash Reiff or "talk negatively about a Lions player." My thoughts on Reiff are contextual, and I'm discussing his inability to play LT, the need for us to draft or sign an LT, and his ABILITY to play RT, where I and many on here believe he belongs. I'm not saying Reiff is a bad player, I'm saying he's a bad LT and possibly a good RT.

The only guy that I believe is "good" on the OL is Sims. Peterman sucks, Dom is average at best, Backus is washed up, and Gos is inconsistent.

Who do you want me to talk good about? I think Houston is average, our LBs are average, Suh has great potential and is a solid player, Fairly has shown flashes but has his own issues, Avril wants too much money, KVB is washed up, and our safeties suck.

On offense Calvin is great, the rest of our WR corps is abysmal. Titus is a head case, Broyles can't stay healthy, and Nate is washed up and over-paid. Our TEs suck, Sheff is average and a solid player, and Pett doesn't come through in the clutch and drops easy passes. Who do I "talk good about" there?

I do like Leshoure and think he has upside, I think Bell is good but on polished and seems to disappear in big moments, and we're missing a good 3rd piece at RB.

Staff may be great or he may be a bum, but one thing is for certain, he's due $40 million in the next two seasons and he's not going to earn it.

So, to recap -Defense:I like Suh but he's undisciplined, he's going to want too much money on his next contract, and he's already surrounded by rumors he wants out of Detroit.

Houston is solid, everyone else is average or below average.

Offense:Stafford may turn out to be great, but he's currently underperforming and won't earn his paycheck until after 2015.CJ is great and our RBs are decent, but everyone other offensive skill position is average, injury prone or below average.Sims is our only "good" OLman, Dom is serviceable, everyone else should be replaced.

You think I'm "being negative," I say I'm being honest. Most people on this board are coming around to my way of thinking, and it has nothing to do with my posts and everything to do with how they play.

You tell me where I'm wrong.

If Reiff plays awesome LT next year, great, but I don't say that he's incapable so I have some "right to complain." I'm just stating how I feel about the guy and my observations. The announcers will get behind anyone that's a first round pick. They'll talk good about him until he proves he doesn't deserve it. Many on here listen to broadcasts and hear the announcers talk about how great someone is and think it must be true. I look more at what I'm seeing out the guy. In the game that Reiff started for Backus the announcers raved at his accomplishments and ignored his faults. They talked about what a "great kid from Iowa" he was, because that's the narrative they had written for them or wrote themselves prior to the game. It generally takes 3-4 poor performances and official team talk before they'll "turn on" a player.

January 31st, 2013, 2:23 pm

kdsberman

League MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3527Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: Senior Bowl.

You guys have a good "argument" going, but the only thing I can chime in on is Reiff was a damn rookie for Christ sake. Ya think hes gonna make some errors? And no offense, but WJB it does seem like you are overall a Lions hater. I understand at 4-12 theres not a whole lot to be happy about, but still. A lot of us wanted DeCastro over Reiff, but it is what it is. Same with Konz. Whatever, its done. Im not saying I dont look back and wonder what if... On the other hand, if Mayhew doesnt make some big moves this offseason, im gonna be your #2.

I watched the same games you did, and thought none of us are actual "evaluators", I didnt think Reiff did as bad as you think he did. Again, opinions. This offseason is gonna be huge for him. If he doesnt basically "own" a job at one of the tackle positions, there just might be something to be concerned about.

January 31st, 2013, 6:02 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Senior Bowl.

kdsberman wrote:

You guys have a good "argument" going, but the only thing I can chime in on is Reiff was a damn rookie for Christ sake. Ya think hes gonna make some errors? And no offense, but WJB it does seem like you are overall a Lions hater. I understand at 4-12 theres not a whole lot to be happy about, but still. A lot of us wanted DeCastro over Reiff, but it is what it is. Same with Konz. Whatever, its done. Im not saying I dont look back and wonder what if... On the other hand, if Mayhew doesnt make some big moves this offseason, im gonna be your #2.

I watched the same games you did, and thought none of us are actual "evaluators", I didnt think Reiff did as bad as you think he did. Again, opinions. This offseason is gonna be huge for him. If he doesnt basically "own" a job at one of the tackle positions, there just might be something to be concerned about.

KSD, I'm not calling Reiff a bust, but I don't think it's prudent for Mayhew to go into 2013 thinking Reiff will be our LT. It's quite possible that one day maybe Reiff could play LT in the NFL, but I don't think it's prudent to assume that going into 2013, not with how much stock this team puts into their passing game. As I have said, the LT position is more or less the 2nd most important position on the entire team, given our team philosophy. Further, I don't think going into the season relying on Backus to start and Reiff to play when Backus is injured is prudent either. Backus showed sever decline last year and was hurt. There's no reason to believe he's going to get better in 2013. It's time to cut ties with Backus, save $2.5 million and sign or draft someone that should be capable of starting at LT.

I have little doubt that Fisher, right now, is a better LT than Reiff, despite the fact that Reiff has had a year of NFL coaching, another year to develop and mature, and a year to add size and strength. I also have little doubt that Reiff is capable of being an RT. I think he very well could be a great RT, and I think it's smart money to put him at RT and let Gos walk. If Gos signs for less than $5 million average per year, I'll be surprised, and I personally don't think he's worth $2.5 million.

IMO it's a perfect situation to fill two positions with one draft pick (LT and RT), set our OL up for some sustained youth, and audition Fox, Nagy for the remaining OG position, or giving Nagy the OG position to see if he can stay healthy to take over for Dom in 2014.